There’s a variety of images that could flood your head when hearing the word ‘Greek’.
Maybe the rich history of ancient Greece. Or a holiday paradise.
What you may not know is how your environment can dictate these thoughts. I conducted a survey where my peers were asked what
the word ‘Greek’ meant to them, to find out more.
People who were not Greek almost always mentioned beaches and food first. This is certainly an effect of Greece being marketed as a holiday destination.
“I think of the food and gorgeous beaches,” my fellow student Natalia replied confirming the predictable trend.
Non-Greeks see photos of the crystal clear water and the matching white houses and think “wow that’s pretty, I wish I can go there one day”. Their only access to Greece and Greek culture is through places like Instagram where it is all about holidays and food.
Another reason food is one of the first associations to come in mind is the abundance of Greek restaurants in Melbourne.
Having souvlaki, the most mentioned, solidifies this case, as many Greek restaurants serve souvlaki; to the point where it has become a staple take out meal for many households.
But the pattern I found concerning was people associating Greece with ‘oldness’. Not only the country itself, but its people as well.
Lily, another student at my high school, said:
“The first thing that I think of [when I hear the word] is ‘old Greek neighbours'” while Cash replied “I think of ancient Greece and the invention of democracy”.
This could be a result of how we learn about ancient Greece in school and of it being so influential, with modern day Greece accordingly presented like it can’t compare and past its prime.
It’s true that Greece is one of the oldest civilisations in the world, so that past of ‘revolutionary’ ideas for the time, like democracy, is expected to come up first in people’s minds.
But the curious question is ‘why are Greek people seen as old?’.
This could also relate to the history of ancient philosophers, but I think there is something more to it.
Greece has one of the oldest populations in the world, with half of the country over the age of 43.
This along with the prominence of yiayia and pappou in Greek culture creates an environment where older Greeks are far more well known than the younger generation.
In Australia, the first generation of Greek immigrants is fading away, therefore the most ‘authentic’ Greek people are seen as old.
Many of these observations are affected by conducting my survey in Melbourne, due to the high population of Greek people.
What I mean is that many people know someone who is Greek and don’t think of the country, when they hear the word, but the
people.
Like Tilly, who instantly replied “my friends”.
That’s why I said in the beginning that responses depend on your surrounding environment.
I probably wouldn’t get the same responses in Brazil or Turkey or even in Greece.
Each place has different experiences with the country or the Greek people that can mould the opinions of the public.
In Australia, and especially Melbourne, the abundance of Greeks has made the word ‘Greek’ mean something we all understand and have had experiences with.
Our minds so easily conform to what is considered known that we don’t even need first-hand events to form an opinion on a word.
You could say, as people of Greek heritage, we have a responsibility to amend these stereotypes like being seen as ‘old’. But overall we are not doing bad.
Greeks are still seen as inventors and revolutionists in people’s eyes. People of other nationalities are not so lucky, and their achievements are tarnished by war or fear in their countries.
To others, the word ‘Greek’ can bring up memories, experiences, emotions or even identity.
It can bring people together, or break them apart. But that’s a story for another time. Who knew a seemingly straightforward word has so many layers.
*Antiga Gogos is an Australian teenager and high school student of Greek and Polish heritage.